Ron Charles, who said Tuesday he’s resigning as president of Santa Anita after a 5-1/2-year run, has been a part of the horse racing industry long enough to know the whispers already have started.

Some believe the 62-year-old Charles is stepping down because of last week’s decision by Magna International Developments, Santa Anita’s new parent company, to void its lease with the Oak Tree Racing Association, which hosts a nonprofit race meet each fall at Santa Anita.

Others speculate he’s leaving because of a disagreement with MID management over the track surface at Santa Anita. A decision is expected no later than mid-July on whether Santa Anita will return to a traditional dirt track or stay with a synthetic surface.

Or maybe it’s because the sport, especially in California, is in terrible trouble and in dire need of a makeover.

Despite the conjecture, Charles would only say it’s time for him to move on. He said he met with MID chairman Frank Stronach on Sunday in Toronto while returning from the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and told him of his decision

“After a long discussion, we agreed I’d step down, take some time off and move on,” said Charles, who took over as Santa Anita president in fall 2004. “We had a very friendly conversation.”

Charles said he’d been thinking of the move for a while, long before MID’s decision regarding Oak Tree. He also dismissed any notion that the industry turmoil led to his resignation.

“If anything, it would be the opposite,” he said. “But I’m hoping that MID and Oak Tree can reach an agreement. Not only myself, but I think everyone is hoping for that.”

Charles’ final day on the job is today, after which Santa Anita general manager George Haines will take over as interim president while MID searches for a permanent replacement.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Anything is possible. He’s been in the business there for 40 years. We have a high, high regard for him.”

Mills, who called Charles “one of the greatest leaders of the thoroughbred industry in the world,” said he was not shocked by the decision.

“We understand the stress, the challenges that exist in a leadership role when you’re in this business that right now is going through a very, very tough patch,” he said.

“We support him and we wish him well and we’re just going to continue to roll up our sleeves and do what we can to make it work.”

John Harris, a California Horse Racing Board commissioner who served two terms as CHRB chairman during Charles’ stint at Santa Anita, was saddened by the news.

“He was such a consummate horse person in all degrees,” Harris said. “He was a really engaged racing fan, handicapper, owned a lot of horses over the years and really understood this whole game. He was a rare find for that job he was in.

“I think it’s a setback (for California racing). For someone else to come in and work their way up the learning curve where he was in so many different facets of this business is tough to do. Magna had the reputation for quite a bit of turnover and he had overcome that.

“Nobody is irreplaceable, but it’s certainly a setback for Santa Anita and the industry.”

Charles, who eventually would like to get back in the industry after some time off, said he’ll fondly remember the Breeders’ Cups at Santa Anita the past two years and the thrill he felt when Zenyatta became the first female to win the Classic in 2009 when he looks back at his tenure.

“Without a doubt, Zenyatta’s win was the highlight and was probably the highlight of anything I’ve had to do with racing,” he said.